College Students Say Remembering 9/11 Is Offensive to Muslims

The everything-is-offensive brand of campus activism has struck a new low: Students at the University of Minnesota killed a proposed moment of silence for 9/11 victims due to concerns—insulting, childish concerns—that Muslim students would be offended.

Has it truly come to this? Is feelings-protection now such an overriding goal that completely unreasonable fears win out, even if they have no basis in reality? Can we not even have a single moment to recognize legitimate victims of terrorism without worrying that someone will feel marginalized on campus?

Theo Menon, a Minnesota Student Association representative and member of the College Republicans, realized that the university wasn’t doing anything to memorialize 9/11; on Oct. 6, he introduced an MSA proposal to do just that. The very short resolution asked the university to institute a “moment of recognition” during the mornings of all future September 11ths.

The resolution proved weirdly controversial. According to The Minnesota Republic:

At-large MSA representative and Director of Diversity and Inclusion David Algadi voiced severe criticism of the resolution. He also made sure to emphasize 9/11’s status as a national tragedy in his response.

“The passing of this resolution might make a space that is unsafe for students on campus even more unsafe,” said Algadi. “Islamophobia and racism fueled through that are alive and well.”

To be clear, the resolution did not refer to Islam. It did not impugn Muslim students, or other Muslims. It did not require anyone to contemplate the fact that the terrorists responsible for 9/11 were Muslims. It said nothing about whether Islam itself is to blame for global terrorism. It merely stated that 9/11 has had a lasting effect on many students, and ought to be reflected upon for a single moment, once a year.

And yet, in an email obtained by The Washington Post, Algadi expressed concerns that efforts to recognize 9/11 are sometimes thinly-veiled expressions of Islamophobia.

Believe it or now, Algadi was not alone in his opinion—a majority of student government representatives sided with him, voting down the resolution in a 36-23 vote this month. There would be no moment of silence at UMN on Sept. 11, 2016, if students had their way.

Showing insufficient mournfulness for the great national tragedy that was 9/11 is itself deeply offensive to many people, however, and UNM’s administration was quickly inundated with demands for a rebuke of the vote. UNM President Eric Kaler announced Wednesday that he would formalize the moment of silence anyway.

“We certainly did hear from folks on this,” said Evan Lapiska, a spokesperson for UNM, according to the Star Tribune. “Dean Johnson and President Kaler wanted to make sure that the folks were aware that the U is committed to honoring the victims.”

Kaler’s reversal of the vote is a good reminder that student government politics are ultimately a pointless sideshow. That’s probably a good thing. What would these despots-in-training do if they had any real power? Read more here.

5 COMMENTS

MLK Jr. day is now on the chopping block as offensive to bigots and by extension, all whites. Veterans’ day is offensive to Germans. Election day is offensive to those who were voted out of office. July 4 is offensive to the British. Lincoln’s birthday is offensive to the South. Thanksgiving is offensive to Native Americans. Labor day is offensive to the unemployed. New Year’s is offensive to ummm… well, OK, New Year’s can stay. Easter and December 25 are offensive to non-Christians. There, all done!